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How will
your community grow?
A key question for the future of our state and
our communities is whether we can shape growth in ways that
results in vibrant communities, strong economies, and a
healthy environment or whether we will be consumed by the
pressures growth can place on our roadways, schools, and natural
assets. The quality of life in Colorado hangs on how we
answer this question.
The Colorado Smart Growth Scorecard is a
community self-assessment tool to help citizens easily
identify areas where their community is doing well and how it
can do better to grow smart. Whether the place where you live
is growing too fast or too slow, the scorecard will help your
community direct growth in ways that make communities great
places to live – thriving downtown and business areas, vibrant
public spaces, healthy natural environments – and a unique
sense of place.
How can you use the Scorecard?
• As a
concerned community member.
You can use the scorecard as an educational tool to better
understand your community’s strengths and weaknesses in
promoting smart growth. Individually answering the questions
in the scorecard could also be the starting point for
discussions with other members of
your community.
• In
small group discussions or workshops.
You can use the scorecard in small group discussion on
your community’s approach to growth and how their community
encourages, manages, and shapes growth.
• As
part of a formal evaluation of your community plan.
You can use the scorecard in the comprehensive planning
process. Community planning efforts can be challenging given
the varying levels of expertise on planning issues in a
community. The scorecard can be a way to bring participants in
the planning process to a basic level of understanding of how
their community encourages, manages, and shapes growth.
The Scorecard was developed by the Colorado Center for Healthy
Communities, in partnership with
The
Orton Family Foundation. This project has been made
possible through the financial support from the
Gates Family
Foundation and local governments, and the financial and staff
support of The Orton Family Foundation. The Colorado Smart
Growth Scorecard is adapted from the Vermont Smart Growth
Scorecard with the permission of the
Vermont Forum on
Sprawl.
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